Marko slams F1’s new era saying Australian GP had ‘passing not overtaking’

Helmut Marko has delivered a scathing verdict on Formula 1’s new era, claiming the Australian Grand Prix featured “passing, not overtaking”.

Formula 1 welcomed a new technical era this season, with Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix providing the first glimpse of it.

Helmut Marko: In the classic sense overtaking has not improved in any way

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

George Russell clinched the victory in a Mercedes 1-2, converting pole position into a win after a thrilling early-race battle with Charles Leclerc, who got the jump on the field at the start.

The two went wheel-to-wheel in the early laps, the lead changing hands eight times before Russell pitted under the first Virtual Safety Car.

Even Marko, sitting at home after parting ways with Red Bull, enjoyed the battle.

“The pulse was up because you knew that the starting phase would bring some surprises. When two Red Bull cars were at the front in the first lap, the pulse went up a bit,” he told sport.de.

“The first laps were a good show, but after the Mercedes no longer took part and drove away, it was clear what dominance and advantage Mercedes has.”

However, he argued it wasn’t overtaking at all – merely passing.

More on F1 2026’s new regulations

Formula Net Zero: F1’s soul is being destroyed by the 2026 rules
George Russell responds to Lando Norris ‘worst cars’ criticism of F1 2026 regulations

Russell and Leclerc’s fight was largely determined by the charge remaining in their batteries at that specific point, while even Max Verstappen’s rise from 20th to sixth at the chequered flag was at times battery dependent.

“I wouldn’t call it that,” he said of ‘overtaking’, more like “passing”.

“Overtaking,” he continued, “in the classic sense has not improved in any way.

“There were no real overtaking manoeuvres in the sense that someone is on the brakes later or has come out of the corner.

“What is most disturbing is when you hear someone take their foot off the gas on the straight. That’s hard to connect with the DNA of Formula 1.”

But while the drivers were critical of the new regulations, his former charge Verstappen labelling it “super frustrating”, Marko says the new regulations need to be “given a chance.

“It will certainly get better,” he insisted, before declaring the new regulations “far too complicated” as “all that in detail was too stupid for me.”

Helmut Marko claims Mercedes has ‘relatively large lead’

Russell won the Australian Grand Prix ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who despite falling to seventh at the start, fought his way back into the battle for a podium as he closed in on Russell, Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

The Italian made notable gains as he clawed his way back after a disappointing start, with Marko declaring the Mercedes was “on rails”.

As for Leclerc and Hamilton, they both made

“Antonelli dropped back to seventh place at the start and then drove back to second place relatively quickly. He drove roughly one second faster than the rest in this phase,” he said.

“A really good in contrast to previous years.

“Without the super start that the Ferraris made, this situation would never have happened. Thanks to their small turbo, we can hope that this starting performance will also be there at the next races.”

The Austrian, Red Bull’s long-time motorsport advisor, does not foresee a change to the pecking order any time soon.

“I don’t think the order will change much,” he said.

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Martin Brundle joins calls for F1 2026 tweaks after ‘crazy’ Australian GP ‘situation’